Personal water craft (PWC) vehicles have enjoyed immense popularity in recent years. PWCs generally allow one, two or more riders to sit, kneel or stand on the craft and to ride across the surface of a body of water. The popularity of PWCs is also attributable to the considerations that they are less expensive than traditional power boats, are more easily transported over land by smaller trailers, and storage and maintenance of the PWCs is generally simpler than with full size power boats. Other popular personal watercraft include vessels such as but not limited to surfboards and powered surfboards. Alternative models of surfboards are gaining in popularity such as but not limited to hydrofoil surfboards. The purpose of hydrofoils on surfboards is typically to enable higher speeds, ability to ride waves faster and longer, and provide a smoother experience by the hydrofoil lifting the surfboard above the choppy and turbulent surface water.
Powered surfboards and hydrofoil surfboards have begun to enter the market. These devices typically utilize a jet propulsion system that is operably coupled to either the bottom surface of the surfboard or to the hydrofoil assembly. One issue with existing technology is the exposure to the impeller/propeller of the propulsion system. All designs of jet propulsion system employ the use of an impeller/propeller that functions to provide an intake of water and than direct the water outward as a stream of that is operable to propel the watercraft. Access to the impeller/propeller is often uninhibited, which presents a safety hazard to a user especially for a watercraft where a user is consistently proximate the propulsion system such as but not limited to a powered surfboard.
Accordingly, there is a need for a watercraft propulsion system wherein the propulsion system is configured to have a standby mode and an operational mode wherein in the standby mode the impeller is inaccessible.